There are a number of testing fixtures or devices for determining compressive characteristics of materials. Many of these test fixtures are primarily designed for testing to failure concrete or other paving mixtures. Examples of such may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,471,227; 2,447,586; and 2,637,198. There are, of course, testing fixtures used for other materials. U.S. Pat. No. 1,931,925 discloses an apparatus for testing fibers and U.S. Pat. No. 2,041,869 discloses apparatus for testing pharmaceutical tablets.
In compression test fixtures such as those mentioned above, the test specimen is commonly placed between vertically spaced platens which, as the test proceeds, are forced toward each other so as to apply increasing compressive forces to the test specimen. Some type of load indicator device is utilized for measuring the forces to which the specimen is subjected. In most of these devices, one of the platens is essentially fixed and the other is movable toward the fixed platen by some source of power. Frequently, such testing results in total destruction or permanent damage to the test specimen. Thus, the test specimen is no longer useful after testing.